T MY OWN LIFE. Ir is difficult for a man to speak long of himself without vanity; therefore, I shall be short. It may be thought an instance of vanity that I pretend at all to write my life; but this Narrative shall contain little more than the History of my Writings; as, indeed, almost all my life has been spent in literary pursuits and occupations. The first success of most of my writings was not such as to be an object of vanity. I was born the 26th of April 1711, old style, at Edinburgh. I was of a good family, both by father and mother: my father's family is a branch of the Earl of Home's or Hume's; and my ancestors had been proprietors of the estate, which my brother possesses, for several generations. My mother was daughter of Sir David Falconer, President of the College of Justice : the title of Lord Halkerton came by succession to her brother. My family, however, was not rich, and being myself a younger brother, my patrimony, according to the mode of my country, was of course very flender. My father, who passed for a man VOL. I. a 2 of parts, died when I was an infant, leaving me, with an elder brother and a sister, under the care of our mother, a woman of fingular merit, who though young and handsome, devoted herself 'entirely to the rearing and educating of her children. I passed through the ordinary course of education with fuccess, and was feized very early with a passion for literature, which has been the ruling paffion of my life, and the great fource of my enjoyments. My studious disposition, my fobriety, and my industry, gave my family a notion that the law was a proper profeffion for me; but I found an unfurmountable aversion to every thing but the pursuits of philofophy and general learning; and while they fancied I was poring upon Voet and Vinnius, Cicero and Virgil were the authors which I was secretly devouring. My very flender fortune, however, being unsuitable to this plan of life, and my health being a little broken by my ardent application, I was tempted, or rather forced, to make a very feeble trial for entering into a more active scene of life. In 1734, I went to Bristol, with some recommendations to eminent merchants, but in a few months found that scene totally unfuitable to me. I went over to France, with a view of profecuting my studies in a country retreat ; and I there laid that plan of life, which I have F steadily and successfully pursued. I resolved to make a very rigid frugality supply my deficiency of fortune, to maintain unimpaired my independency, and to regard every object as contemptible, except the improvement of my talents in literature. DURING my retreat in France, first at Reims, but chiefly at La Fleche, in Anjou, I composed my Treatise of Human Nature. After passing three years very agreeably in that country, I came over to London in 1737. In the end of 1738, I published my Treatise, and immediately went down to my mother and my brother, who lived at his country- house, and was employing himself very judiciously and successfully in the improvement of his fortune. NEVER literary attempt was more unfortunate than my Treatise of Human Nature. It fell deadborn from the press, without reaching such distinction, as even to excite a murmur among the zealots. But being naturally of a cheerful and fanguine temper, I very foon recovered the blow, and profecuted with great ardour my studies in the country. In 1742, I printed at Edinburgh the first part of my Essays: the work was favourably received, and foon made me entirely forget my former disappointment. I continued with my mother and brother in the country, and in a 3 |
